Your resource for community outreach

IMPORTANT NOTE: I have nothing against the hunting of animals as long it is legal. I support the Second Amendment. I am a proud Republican and advocacy journalist. This letter, and any other related, future information, serves to expose corruption surrounding and/or within non-profit organization(s).

(This is a well-supported presentation of my outlook on Texan student Kendall Jones’ actions. Will she respond? Or will she continue to ignore me and try to get this taken off of Facebook? I would hope the former, but my mind tells me the latter will probably occur.)

Dearest Kendall,

I don’t understand why you blocked me, but I would like to apologize. I understand I was a bit harsh, so I’d like to start over because I really would like to see your perspective and, as a journalism student, I’d like you to see mine as well. I hope that’s not asking too much from you.So, you recently posted 10 very valid reasons for and examples of conservation. The act of conservation hunting HAS DEFINITELY helped a lot of species to thrive….but the keywords here are: IN. NORTH. AMERICA! In the same post you also mentioned the specific animals in which conservation hunting has helped including: ducks, turkeys, pronghorns, elk and whitetails.

Your argument for conservation hunting is completely infallible and correct… for those species in that continent. However, using statistics from North American animal conservation hunting and it’s success as a correlation between African endangered animal conservation hunting is one of the oldest and most common fallacies of rhetoric in existence. Deriving correlation from causation is not only statistically inaccurate, but, I’m sorry to say, it also shows a lack of credibility on your behalf.

As you seem to have the facts down about North American conservation hunting, allow me to enlighten you about the facts of legal and moral conservation hunting in Africa. First of all, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) announced in April that the import of elephants from both Tanzania and Zimbabwe will be suspended for the remainder of 2014. The decision was propelled by the fact that in these two countries, according to FWS, “additional killing of elephants…even if legal, is not sustainable.” THUS, your elephant trophies of conservation were actually adding to the endangerment of the species. Big, “Oops!” Huh?Moreover, you’re claiming to support a cause, and you, (or your father), rather, paid of dollars to help that cause. Well, let’s just see about how much money your dad invested in your selfless act to spread awareness, and what exactly it was you had to pay for, shall we?

We all know your favorite spot to hunt is Zimbabwe, as your father introduced you to the beauty of its plains at the sprite age of nine. African Sky Hunting, affiliated with Dallas, TX, (so I’m sure you’re familiar), offers all sorts of all-inclusive packages for hunts just like the ones you go on!

According to said well-known hunting operator in Zimbabwe, a 21-day lion, elephant & buffalo hunt costs $1,100 a day per person. A total upwards of $80,000. BUT that’s not including the price you pay for all of your fuzzy trophies! For each leopard, $15,000. Each lion, $22,000. Each elephant, $35,000. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Not including equipment, air fare, travel fare, transportation of trophy fees, and your ungodly amounts of bronzer, that’s a bit under $200,000.

Now, I understand that as a conservation hunter you are obligated to pay to hunt, and a portion of said payment goes to helping your cause. You recently posted about the lack of the “trickle-down effect” of money from national to local non-profit organizations…

If you support the idea that national non-profits should give back more locally, then how do you justify less than 1% of the money conservation hunters pay to kill these animals actually going to said cause? You simply cannot justify this because the two ideas completely contradict one another.

So, if your previous statements are truthful, then you undoubtedly know that it would make a more significant impact and help more animals if you directly donated money instead of hoping that one cent for every dollar spent will hopefully go to the cause you claim to believe in.

A donation of $200,000 directly to the cause would have made much more of an impact on this platform you “care so much” about. How many trips have you taken like this before? How many has your father taken? I guarantee the total cost of the animal deaths from all of the hunts combined is at least one million. But even with the $200,000, you could have actually made a long-term, positive change in the world for a species.

As I mentioned, (before you decided to block me for no reason), I am both a journalism student and the owner/manager of a website SPECIFICALLY dedicated to providing our community with news and information about non-profit organizations and advocacy in general.

For over two years now I have put my heart and soul into said website and into the overall spreading of non-profit awareness. I absolutely refuse to back down on this issue and your idiotic promotion of it. What’s more, I will not stop until a voice is heard for these animals who couldn’t speak for themselves.

Kendall Jones, I refuse to allow your success to be gained through exploitation of this cause, or any other for that matter.

Advocacy and awareness are vital to the future of our beautiful world. Manipulating causes for your own pleasure DOES NOT fall under the umbrella of advocacy or awareness. As a true proponent of this and other causes, and as a journalist, it is my ethical responsibility to inform the community of events and their surrounding facts.

I will not stop spreading awareness about yourself and your anti-advocacy actions until you stop feeding the flame for your infamy and your hopes for a stupid reality show.

I’d like to think that your father’s beliefs have simply been engrained in you deeply from a young age, but another part of me thinks that you truly know what you’re doing is wrong… But, with repetition of manipulated statistical facts, I’m sure you can sleep better at night.

I would truly enjoy a response from you, although I’m sure your publicist (ha!) had you block me BECAUSE I am a journalist. Specifically, an advocacy journalist. Your exploitation of organizations represents the non-profit corruption I fight to eliminate every, single day. I may not be on Fox News or NBC. Hell, I still have a year before I graduate from the William Allen White School of Journalism at KU. But, that is the very reason I will not stop pursuing your response. I’m not any more educated, accredited or qualified than you are, Kendall. There’s less than two years between us. If you’ve been looking for a fair match in the media to defend your cause and respond to all of the backlash: you’ve found it.